Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to local authorities to enable them to reduce scope 3 emissions in 2023.

Lord Callanan: Local Authorities have a combination of powers and assets which gives them autonomy to deliver net zero in ways that best suit their needs. The Government provides a range of support which enables local areas to deliver net zero, as laid out in the Net Zero Strategy.

Northern Ireland Office

Planning Appeals Commission Northern Ireland

Lord Alderdice: To ask His Majesty's Government how the powers, responsibility, and accountability of the Northern Ireland Planning Appeals Commission compare tosimilar bodies in the other countries of the UK; and what impact any difference is having on the Levelling Up agenda.

Lord Caine: As the Noble Lord is aware, planning policy is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure has responsibility for regional planning policy and legislation. The Northern Ireland Planning Appeals Commission is an independent body that deals with a wide range of land use and planning issues. Reviewing the powers and performance of the Planning Appeals Commission is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly and that's why it is important that an Assembly Speaker is elected and the Northern Ireland Executive is reformed in order for these decisions to be made locally, where they should be. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has responsibility for planning policy in England. The other devolved administrations take responsibility for planning policy in their respective nations.

Department of Health and Social Care

HIV Infection

Baroness Barker: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to equip HIV communitynetworks with the resources needed to establish programmes, including peer-to-peer networks, to boost the supportive ecosystem that people living with HIV need to thrive.

Lord Markham: We are currently exploring models of peer support networks in order to share the effectiveness of voluntary sector-led support networks, including with commissioners and voluntary groups. An HIV Action Plan Community Advisory Group has been established, which includes representatives of the voluntary and community sector, including those living with HIV. The Group will report to the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group to provide advice and expertise.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Proceedings: Royal Commissions

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Bellamy on 28 November (HL Deb col 1561), what plans they have to announce (1) the timeframe, and (2) the terms of reference, for the Royal Commission on the criminal justice process, as announced in the Queen's Speech on 19 December 2019.

Lord Bellamy: Both the timeframe and terms of reference for the Royal Commission are under review. We continue to prioritise recovery in the criminal justice system and it is right to do so in light of the disruption caused by the Criminal Bar Association’s recent action. Our focus is on delivering our priorities over the coming months and overhauling the UK human rights framework through the Bill of Rights, which will safeguard the wider public interest, while restoring some common sense to our justice system.

Prison and Probation Service: Sports

Baroness Sater: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to publish their Sports Strategy.

Lord Bellamy: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) recognise the power of sport to help change lives and make communities safer. We work in partnership with a range of sports organisations to develop and provide access to initiatives that allow people on probation and those in and leaving prison to be able to get and stay well as part of helping to turn their lives around. For example, we have introduced Park Runs in prisons and developed our innovative partnership with the Twinning Project which matches prisons and probation areas with Football foundations.The Government’s Sports Strategy is in the process of being refreshed, led by DCMS, and will set the long-term strategic policy direction for sport in the UK. The refreshed strategy is expected to be published in 2023 and HMPPS will develop and publish how we will support the delivery of this strategy for people in prison and on probation. We will confirm the timescale for this following publication of the Government’s Sport Strategy.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ukraine: Mines

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support mine clearance in Ukraine with specific reference to the areas surrounding (1) power stations, and (2) electricity substations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has a £2m agreement with The Halo Trust under the Global Mine Action Programme to undertake mine action activities, including clearance, in Ukraine. The FCDO is also providing demining equipment and training to the State Emergency Services (SES) as part of its £14.5m contribution to the multi-donor Partnership Fund for Resilient Ukraine, and providing £0.6m to the UNDP to help sector coordination. The Ukrainian national mine action authority is responsible for mine clearance tasking, including for critical infrastructure, and can use either national operators like SES or accredited international organisations like the Halo Trust.

Wagner Group: Sanctions

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 30 November (HL3473), whether they regard the Russian Wagner Group as a group whose behaviour is considered unacceptable by the international community.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Wagner Group is directly connected to the Russian state. The UK condemns Russia's use of such proxies in Ukraine. Wagner mercenaries are operating in Ukraine in support of Russian invasion, and are present in other conflict settings, including Mali and the Central African Republic, where they have a destabilising impact and are responsible for human rights abuses. We work closely with our international partners to counter the malign use of such proxies by Russia. We have designated both the Wagner Group, and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, under the Russia Sanctions Regime.

Ukraine: Electricity Generation

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government how many electricity generators they have supplied to Ukraine since February; what are the models of each generator supplied; how they are being distributed; and what is the timetable for their full deployment.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Through the Ukraine Electricity Network Support Taskforce, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has funded the procurement for Ukraine of 856 mobile generators of various models. These have all been delivered to Ukraine, where they are being used to provide power to homes disconnected from the electricity grid. The Prime Minister recently announced £4 million for the International Organisation for Migration in Ukraine. This new support includes the provision of generators for households and collective centres. The UK has also committed £10 million to the Energy Community's Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Since March 2022, the Energy Community has been coordinating business-to-business donations of specialised equipment for repairs, including generators and replacements for damaged infrastructure.

Jerusalem: Police

Lord Alderdice: To ask His Majesty's Government whatrecent discussions they have had with the government of Israel about policing in the Old City of Jerusalem; and in particular, whether they have recommended co-operation with any UK police forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding opposition to the manner in which the Israel Defence Forces police non-violent protests and the border areas. We also regularly raise the importance of the Israeli security force's adherence to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, which includes Palestinian medics attempting to provide services.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Armed Conflict

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, following an escalation in military activity in the past month; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood of a ceasefire.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The escalation in fighting in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is having grave humanitarian consequences, has been raised with both the President of DRC and the Foreign Minister of Rwanda; the Minister for Africa also recently spoke to the Rwandan Foreign Minister. We welcome agreement on a ceasefire as agreed at the Luanda summit in Angola on 23 November. It is vital that all parties implement it to secure a real de-escalation on the ground in Eastern DRC. We urge all sides to do everything they can to ensure armed groups respect the terms of the ceasefire and engage with the regional political processes, in order for an enduring political solution to be found.

Ministry of Defence

Type 45 Destroyers: Guided Weapons

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to fitting theMk 41 vertical launch system to Type 45 destroyers.

Baroness Goldie: There are no current plans to fit Mk 41 vertical launch silos to the Type 45 Destroyers. However, the Government continually assesses operational requirements to ensure warships are equipped with an appropriate array of offensive and defensive weapons to enable them to fulfil their operational roles.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pension Credit

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Stedman-Scott on 22 November (HL3269), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what are the (1) average, and (2) longest, delays being experienced by pensioners applying for pension credit for applications made (a) in late April, and (b) subsequently.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: DWP does not maintain data for the longest time taken to process Pension Credit applications. This information is only available at disproportionate cost to the Department for Work & Pensions as the Department does not have a business requirement for this information to be retained. We are processing claims as quickly as possible and streamlining our processes, as well as increasing our staffing resources, which has resulted in the outstanding claims reducing considerably. We expect the clearance of claims to reduce as outstanding claims are cleared. All successful claims and arrears are paid accordingly to ensure no one misses out.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Environment Agency reportWorkingwith nature,published in July, which stated that "a quarter of mammals in England and almost a fifth of UK plants" are "threatened with extinction", whether they will list those counties that have suffered the worst declines of those species.

Lord Benyon: Data held by Government does not contain sufficient levels of detail to allow for an assessment of species decline at county level.

Nature Conservation

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government, what was the annual rate of species decline in England in each year between 2010 and 2022.

Lord Benyon: Defra’s indicator of species abundance tracks changes in the relative abundance of widespread and priority species in England, using data for 670 terrestrial animal species in England. Based on available data, the trend in the indicator shows a decline in species abundance of 2.8% per year on average between 2012 and 2018.

Geographical Information Systems: EU Law

Lord Allan of Hallam: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the impact on their environmental data policy of the inclusion of the INSPIRE Regulations 2009 within the scope of clause 1 of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Lord Benyon: Defra is currently undertaking a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the INSPIRE Regulations 2009 (INSPIRE) to consider the future of INSPIRE and in particular in respect to the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. Defra commissioned The Open Data Institute (The ODI) to carry out an independent assessment of the impact of the INSPIRE regulations. As part of this assessment the ODI is consulting with key INSPIRE stakeholders in the UK including Defra, the Devolved Administrations, The Geospatial Commission, Ordnance Survey, The Data Standards Authority, the Chief Data and Digital Office and The Office for National Statistics. The ODI is due to present its findings to Defra at the end of January 2023 which will inform the INSPIRE PIR.

Fish Farming: Animal Welfare

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to monitor the welfare of farmed fish that are slaughtered on wellboats.

Lord Benyon: Legislation on the protection of animals at the time of killing requires that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. The Animal and Plant Health Agency is responsible for carrying out any investigations concerning the welfare of farmed fish, including at slaughter.As part of our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are currently considering improvements that could be made to the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing. To inform this work, we have asked the Animal Welfare Committee for advice on the killing of farmed fish, including the use of wellboats.

Agriculture

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the need toclassify (1) agriculture, and (2) horticulture, as a vulnerable sector.

Lord Benyon: We understand that the global spike in oil and gas prices has affected the price of agricultural commodities, which are always closely correlated to energy costs. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to make sure that all businesses, including farmers, food producers, manufacturers and packagers, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. HM Treasury will publish a review into the operation of the scheme to inform decisions on future support after March 2023. The review will focus in particular on identifying the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs. HM Government is also supporting businesses to improve their energy efficiency by at least 20% by 2030. This could deliver up to £6 billion in cost savings by 2030. We have extended the Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme by three years and more than doubled its budget. We recognise that for the pig and poultry sectors, animal feed is a substantial input cost. As of 1st June, we have successfully concluded the removal of Section 232 tariffs, allowing us to remove the 25% tariff on US maize imports, a key ingredient for animal feed. Defra has a collaborative relationship with industry which allows us to effectively respond to disruption, should it occur. This was successfully demonstrated in response to unprecedented disruption to both supply and demand throughout COVID-19. We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence. HMG recognises the importance of the ornamental and edible horticulture sectors, both for ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh produce, plants and cut flowers, but also for its valuable contribution to our economy and the benefits it brings to people’s health and wellbeing. We have a high degree of self-sufficiency in many of those crops suited to our growing conditions, and our innovative and enterprising growers are exploring ways to maximise this further by optimising growing conditions to increase yields and extend growing seasons. However we do not underestimate the impact on our growers that increases in the cost of a range of inputs, including high energy prices, is having on production. We monitor the situation closely through UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have increased our engagement with the sector to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence.

Soil

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support farmers and growers to improve soil quality.

Lord Benyon: Firstly, we are focusing on soil in two of the first standards that have been rolled out under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme in June 2022 - the Improved Grassland Soils and Arable and Horticultural Soils standards. These are available to all farmers in England with arable land and improved grassland. In addition, we have been piloting three further grassland standards, and learnings from these have informed the standards that we launched in June 2022 and future standards. These will seek to support farmers to manage their soil to increase biodiversity and resilience to climate change, improve soil condition and carbon storage, and to improve water and air quality.

Home Office

Detention Centres: Notifiable Diseases

Lord Goodlad: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Home Office has had with the Association of Directors of Public Health in the last six months about notifiable diseases at the Western Jet Foil and Manston Processing Centres; and what was the outcome of any such discussions.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office has regular engagement with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on matters of communicable and notifiable diseases detected at Western Jetfoil and Manston.Directors of Public Health do attend operational asylum accommodation meetings relating specifically to health, either in person or through representatives. These are multi-agency forums, where any issues or concerns around the management of infectious diseases in asylum accommodation can be discussed. However, the collaborative approach to managing communicable diseases within the context of Manston and Western Jetfoil and reducing the risk of their spreading is led by UKHSA and supported by the Home Office.The Home Office and DLUHC 2nd Permanent Secretary wrote to Directors of Public Health, outlining the Home Office's ongoing programme of work to limit the spread of infectious diseases in hotels.

Sky Lanterns: Fires

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey will list all incidents of fires having been caused by sky lanterns in the last five years.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Data collected through the Fire and Rescue Service Incident Recording System (IRS) does not include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved sky lanterns.The Home Office collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available at Gov.UK.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Planning Permission: Standards

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comparative effectiveness of the planning systems in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The government has not made an assessment on the comparative effectiveness of the planning systems in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State recently made a statement on further changes to the planning system, which I repeated in this House. The statement is available (attached) here. Statement on changes to the planning system (pdf, 117.3KB)

Private Rented Housing: Rents

Lord Truscott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of introducing rent controls in the private rental sector.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government does not support rent controls to set the level of rent at the outset of a private rented tenancy. Evidence suggests that this would discourage investment in the sector and lead to declining property standards as a result, which helps neither landlords, nor tenants. Recent international examples also suggest that rent controls can have an inadvertent negative impact on the supply of housing and may encourage more illegal subletting.

Energy Bills Rebate: Council Tax

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toprovide alternative support to people whose residence is not in a council tax band that qualifies for a council tax rebate.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government recognised that some households which were not eligible for the core rebate scheme may also require support. That is why the Government provided councils with a £144 million discretionary fund to support any vulnerable household in their area, regardless of their council tax band.

Cabinet Office

Drownings

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have died from drowning in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 29 November is attached. Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National StatisticianThe Lord Storey CBEHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 07 December 2022 Dear Lord Storey,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people have died from drowning in each of the last 5 years (HL3861).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. Causes mentioned on the death certificate are converted to International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes, with the underlying cause of death defined as the disease or injury that initiated the events that directly lead to the death. At the ONS, we use the term “due to” to refer to the underlying cause of a death.The ICD-10 codes of accidental drowning related deaths are W65 to W74, which come under the accidental drowning and submersion sub chapter. This consists of:• W65 – Drowning and submersion while in bath-tub• W66 – Drowning and submersion following fall into bath-tub• W67 – Drowning and submersion while in swimming-pool• W68 – Drowning and submersion following fall into swimming-pool• W69 – Drowning and submersion while in natural water• W70 – Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water• W73 – Other specified drowning and submersion• W74 – Unspecified drowning and submersionTable 1 shows the numbers of deaths involving accidental drowning and submersion by year in England and Wales for the period 2017 to 2021, taken from Deaths registered in England and Wales – 21st century mortality[1] . Accidental drowning and submersion is considered an external cause of morbidity and mortality, because of this it is usually referred to a coroner for the death to be certified, which may lead to registration delays[2] . Data for 2022 will be available from mid2023 in the yearly publication on Deaths registered in England and Wales[3] .Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond Table 1: Numbers[4] of deaths[5] by accidental drowning[6] and submersion by year, 2017 to 2021, England and Wales[7]Year Total per year2017 1932018 2112019 1752020 1932021 215Source: Office for National Statistics – Deaths registered in England and Wales – 21st Century Mortality [1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/the 21stcenturymortalityfilesdeathsdataset[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/impa ctofregistrationdelaysonmortalitystatisticsinenglandandwales/latest[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deat hsregistrationsummarytables/latest[4] Number of deaths by ICD-10 code are available through our explorable dataset NOMIS from 2013 onwards, this can be accessed here: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?reset=yes&mode=construct&dataset=161&v ersion=0&anal=1&initsel=[5] Death figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year; for more information see our Impact of registrations delays release.[6] International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10) codes are as follows: W65, Drowning and submersion while in bath-tub; W66, Drowning and submersion following fall into bath-tub; W67, Drowning and submersion while in swimming-pool; W68, Drowning and submersion following fall into swimming-pool; W69, Drowning and submersion while in natural water; W70, Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water; W73, Other specified drowning and submersion; W74, Unspecified drowning and submersion.[7] Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents.Drowning Deaths (pdf, 195.2KB)

Overseas Students: Migration

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government whythey have included international students in their net migration figures.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 29 November is attached. Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National StatisticianThe Lord Leong CBEHouse of LordsLondonSW1A0PW08 December 2022 Dear Lord Leong,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking why international students have been included in our net migration figures (HL3844).Statistics on long-term international migration produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are estimated in accordance with international standards. The United Nations definition of a long-term migrant is: “A person who moves to a country other than that of his or her usual residence for a period of at least a year (12 months), so that the country of destination effectively becomes his or her new country of usual residence[1] .” International students will typically live in the UK for more than a year, and so meet the definition of a long-term migrant.However, we recognise this definition is narrow and doesn’t always meet user needs. We have plans to explore alternative definitions, including estimating net migration by reason, such as study[2] . This will help provide more context to headline measures of migration, addressing recent findings from the ONS research that most international students will leave the UK after their studies are concluded.Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/ methodologies/longterminternationalmigrationestimatesmethodology#:~:text=Definition%20of%20a%20l ongterm%20migrant&text=%E2%80%9CA%20person%20who%20moves%20to,new%20country%20of%20 usual%20residence.%E2%80%9D[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/ articles/internationalmigrationstatisticaldesignprogressreport/july2022#how-we-are-transformingmigration-statisticsstudent net migration (pdf, 114.6KB)

Migrants

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask His Majesty's Government how many arrivals by (1) Ukrainians and their dependants, (2) Hong Kong BNOs and their dependants, and (3) Afghan citizens and their dependants, are included in the latest Office for National Statistics net migration figures, published on 24 November.

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask His Majesty's Government when the International Passenger Survey (IPS) stopped being used as a significant element in calculating net migration; and what has taken its place.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question: HL3965 and HL3966 are attached. Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National StatisticianLord Green of DeddingtonHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW12 December 2022 Dear Lord Green,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many arrivals by (1) Ukrainians and their dependants, (2) Hong Kong BNOs and their dependants, and (3) Afghan citizens and their dependants, are included in the latest Office for National Statistics net migration figures, published on 24 November; and when the International Passenger Survey (IPS) stopped being used as a significant element in calculating net migration; and what has taken its place (HL3965;HL3966).In the Office for National Statistics (ONS) bulletin published on 24 November, Section 4, Migration Events[1] details the following published Home Office data included in the ONS’ total long-term international migration estimates:Ukrainians: around 89,000 arrived in the UK in the year to June 2022Afghans: around 21,000 arrived in the UK in the year to June 2022For British nationals overseas (BN(O)) status holders and their families from Hong Kong, colleagues from the ONS and the Home Office are working together to resolve how we identify those that are long-term international migrants in the data. Home Office statistics show that around 76,000 visas were issued for the BN(O) route in the year ending June 2022. This will represent the upper bound for arrivals, as not all of those with a visa will arrive in the UK or stay long term. The ONS is also working to identify BN(O) status holders in their International Passenger Survey (IPS) data using country of birth and country of last residences as this may help provide a more robust estimate. Current analysis suggests that 28,000 British nationals with a country of birth of Hong Kong immigrated into the UK in the year ending June 2022.The long-term international migration data from the IPS was the largest component of the LongTerm International Migration (LTIM) estimates until its suspension in March 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.In August 2020 the ONS announced that they would not return to producing official migration statistics from the IPS because it had been stretched beyond its original purpose. The ONS now focuses on measuring actual migration, as opposed to intentions, using primarily administrative data (admin-based migration estimates (ABMEs)). The ONS’ International migration statistical design progress report: July 2022 provides more information.[2]For the latest long-term international migration estimates; non-EU figures are based on Home Office Border Systems data, EU figures are based on Registration and Population Interaction Database (RAPID) data received from Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs, and British Nationals figures are based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). See the Measuring the data section[3] for more detail. Thank you for your continued interest in our international migration estimates.Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/ bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2022#migration-events[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/ articles/internationalmigrationstatisticaldesignprogressreport/july2022[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/ bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2022#measuring-the-dataMigration calculation (pdf, 117.7KB)

Public Duty Costs Allowance

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 November (HL Deb col 1170) concerning the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), and the statement that the “Government keep these matters under review and that the level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister, at the start of a Parliament and annually”, when the next review of the PDCA will take place; on what basis the review of the PDCA will be undertaken; and who will be consulted.

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 November (HL Deb col 1170) concerning the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), and the statement that the “Government keep these matters under review and that the level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister, at the start of a Parliament and annually”, whether the next review of the PDCAwill consider restricting the allowance to former Prime Ministers (and any other eligible other Ministers) to those who have served less than a full parliamentary term.

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 November (HL Deb col 1170) concerning the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), and the statement that the “Government keep these matters under review and that the level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister, at the start of a Parliament and annually”, whether the Prime Minister is entitled to set the level of allowance which would be available to that Prime Minister after ceasing to occupy that role; and whether the Prime Minister remains able, at their discretion, to make the PDCA available to former Deputy Prime Ministers, or other ex-Ministers.

Lord Rennard: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 November (HL Deb col 1170) concerning the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), and the statement that the “Government keep these matters under review and that the level of the limit is reviewed by the Prime Minister, at the start of a Parliament and annually”,whether the next review will consider transferring responsibility for the PDCA to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) to operate in a similar fashion to the way in which MPs expenses and allowances are regulated under the“Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs”, designed to ensure MPs are reimbursed for costs incurred in the performance of their parliamentary functions; and whether similar details of claims made using the PDCA will in future be made public along similar lines to the way in which MPs allowances and expenses are published.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The review of the Public Duty Costs Allowance is undertaken by the Prime Minister at the start of a Parliament and annually. It is for the Prime Minister to consider the level, operation and coverage of the allowance. This review will take place in due course.

Life Peers: Housing

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government in what county or region was the primary residence of individuals recommended for a Life Peerage by the Prime Minister in each year since 2019.

Lord Shipley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the geographical distribution by region or nation of members of the House of Lords.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government does not hold residency information for those nominated to the House of Lords. That is a matter for each individual. The Prime Minister is responsible for peerage nominations and will take a range of factors into consideration when making recommendations to the Sovereign.

Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015

Lord Allan of Hallam: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on their open data policy of the inclusion of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 within the scope of clause 1 of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: An assessment will be undertaken, and it will form part of a wider piece of work to refresh the government’s Open Data policy.

Hereditary Peers: Vetting

Lord Grocott: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require hereditary peers on the Register of Hereditary Peers to be subject to the same vetting procedures carried out by the House of Lords Appointments Commission to which new life peers are subject.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The House of Lords Appointments Commission recommends individuals for appointment as non-party-political life peers, and vets nominations for life peers, including those nominated by the UK political parties, to ensure the highest standards of propriety. There are no plans to amend the Commission’s remit.

House of Lords Composition: Political Parties

Lord Grocott: To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to maintain the current party balance in the House of Lords, whereby the party of His Majesty’s Government has over 90 peers more than the Official Opposition.

Lord Grocott: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 16 November (HL Deb col 888), how many additional Conservative peers they consider it will be necessary to appoint to ensure that the Conservative Party is not “underrepresented in the Lords”.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Appointments to the House of Lords are a matter for the Prime Minister to advise the Sovereign. There is a longstanding convention that the Leader of the Opposition may nominate political peers from, or representing, their own political party. Recent nomination lists include both government and opposition peers as well as cross bench and non-affiliated peers.

Ministers: Pay

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask His Majesty's Government which members of the Government are unpaid.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The following members of the Government are unpaid: Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP, Minister of State and Minister without PortfolioJohn Glen MP, Minister of State, HM Treasury (Chief Secretary to the Treasury)Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State, HM Treasury (Economic Secretary to the Treasury)Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State, Cabinet OfficeLord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of JusticeLord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State, Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeRt Hon Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeBaroness Goldie DL, Minister of State, Ministry of DefenceRt Hon Earl Howe GBE, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of LordsLord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social CareRt Hon Lord Benyon Minister of State, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural AffairsLord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State, Department for International TradeBaroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for EducationLord Offord of Garvel, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scotland Office

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

Lord Grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he will publish a list of each peer on the Register of Hereditary Peers that has contested a hereditary peer by-election; and in each case, on what date or dates those by-elections took place.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The information is given in the attached table. Hereditary peers who have been successful candidates in by-elections, and who are therefore no longer included in the Register, are not listed. The ‘by-election name’ in each case is the title of the former member whose death or resignation from the House precipitated the by-election.Hereditary peers who have contested by-elections (xlsx, 23.9KB)

Hereditary Peers

Lord Grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he will publish a copy of the Register of Hereditary Peers with the year each peer was added to the Register.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Register of Hereditary Peers (HL Paper 2) was first published on 13 November 2002, and is published at the start of each session of Parliament. The table below gives the year in which each peer was first listed in the Register as published at the start of each Session.TitleYear of first inclusion in HL Paper 2   Aberdeen and Temair, M.2021Abergavenny, M.2002Addison, V.2002Ailsa, M.2016Albemarle, E.2010Aldenham, L.2002Aldington, L.2002Alexander of Tunis, E.2002Ampthill, L.2012Annaly, L.2006Ashbourne, L.2022Ashburton, L.2021Aylesford, E.2008Baillieu, L.2022Balfour, E.2004Beaufort, D.2019Bedford, D.2003Belper, L.2002Belhaven and Stenton, L.*2022Bicester, L.2019Biddulph, L.2002Birkett, L.2021Bolton, L.2007Boston, L.2007Braybrooke, L.2019Brentford, V.2003Bridges, L.2019Bristol, M.2006Bruntisfield, L.2008Buccleuch and Queensberry, D.2008Burnham, L.2005Cadman, L.2002Cairns, E.2002Calverley, L.2002Carew, L.2002Carlisle, E.2003Carnarvon, E.2019Cawley, L.2002Chorley, L.2019Clanwilliam, E. (L. Clanwilliam)2009Clydesmuir, L.2002Cobham, V.2007Cochrane of Cults, L.2019Combermere, V.2002Cranbrook, E.2002Cromer, E.2002Dacre, B.2016Darcy de Knayth, L.2008Daresbury, L.2002Darling, L.2006Darnley, E. (Clifton, L.)2019Daventry, V.2002Davies, L.2004De Clifford, L.2019De La Warr, E.2002De L’Isle, V.2002De Ramsey, L.2002Devonport, V.2002Dormer, L.2019Downshire, M. (Hillsborough, E.)2019Drogheda, E. (L. Moore)2002Dudley, E.2015Dudley, L.2003Dundonald, E.2002Durham, E.2008Dysart, E.*2022Eglinton and Winton, E.2019Eldon, E.2019Elibank, L.2019Ellenborough, L.2014Enniskillen, E. (L. Grinstead)2003Erne, E. (L. Fermanagh)2019Ferrers, E.2014Fisher, L.2013Fortescue, E.2003Gage, V. (L. Gage)2002Gainsborough, E.2012Glenconner, L.2015Glendyne, L.2008Gormanston, V. (L. Gormanston)2002Grafton, D.2012Grantley, L.2002Gray, L.2004Grimston of Westbury, L.2016Grimthorpe, L.2004Haddington, E.2019Halifax, E.2002Hamilton and Brandon, D.2012Hamilton of Dalzell, L.2008Hankey, L.2017Harrowby, E.2008Hayter, L.2014Hazlerigg, L.*2022Hemphill, L.2013Herbert, L.2002Hereford, V.2006Hill, V.2004Hindlip, L.2002Hives, L.2019HolmPatrick, L.2002Hood, V.2003Iddesleigh, E.2005Ironside, L.2022Iveagh, E.2002Kenilworth, L.2002Kennet, L.2012Kilbracken, L.2009Kilmarnock, L.2015Kimberley, E.2003Latymer, L.2004Lauderdale, E.2009Lawrence, L.2002Leathers, V.2002Leven and Melville, E.2017Lichfield, E.2007Limerick, E. (L. Foxford)2003Lloyd George of Dwyfor, E.2012Lucan, E. (L. Bingham)2017Mackintosh of Halifax, V.2002McNair, L.2005Margadale, L.2003Margesson, V.2016Marlborough, D.2015Massereene and Ferrard, V. (L. Oriel)2002Melville, V.2012Merthyr, L.2017Meston, L.2002Middleton, L.2015Milford, L.2002Milner of Leeds, L.2004Milverton, L.2002Monckton of Brenchley, V.2007Monk Bretton, L.2022Monson, L.2012Moran, L.2015Morris, L.2014Morris of Kenwood, L.2006Morton, E.2017Mostyn, L.2015Mountgarret, V. (L. Mountgarret)2006Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton, L.2022Napier and Ettrick, L.2013Nathan, L.2009Nelson of Stafford, L.2007Newall, L.2002Noel-Buxton, L.2015Normanton, E. (Somerton, L.)2019Norrie, L.2002Norwich, V.*2022Nunburnholme, L.2007Onslow, E.2012Oranmore and Browne, L. (L. Mereworth)2003Oxfuird, V.2005Penrhyn, L.2004Polwarth, L.2006Poole, L.2002Powerscourt, V. (L. Powerscourt)2016Rathcavan, L.2002Renwick, L.2021Richmond, Lennox and Gordon, D.2019Robertson of Oakridge, L.2009Rochdale, V.*2022Rossmore, L.2022Rowallan, L.2002Roxburghe, D.2021Russell, E.2016Rutland, D.2002St Davids, V.2009St Levan, L.2014Savile, L.2009Scarbrough, E.2004Seaford, L.2002Selborne, E.2022Sempill, L.2002Shaftesbury, E.2007Simon of Wythenshawe, L.*2022Snowdon, E.2019Somerleyton, L.2013Southampton, L.2016Spens, L.2007Stockton, E.2003Strange, L.2006Sutherland, D.2002Swansea, L.2006Swinfen, L.*2022Temple of Stowe, E.2014Terrington, L.2002Teviot, L.2002Tollemache, L.2002Torrington, V.2002Vernon, L.2002Vivian, L.2005Walpole, L.2022Weir, V.2002Wemyss and March, E.2009Wharton, L.2003Wigram, L.2019Wilton, E. (Ebury, L.)2002Windlesham, L.2012Wise, L.2014Woolton, E.2002Wrenbury, L.2014Wynford, L.2012Yarborough, E.2002*Peers who have been added to the register since the most recent edition of HL Paper 2 was published on 10 May 2022.

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

Lord Grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what checks are made to determine whether peers on the Register are willing to put their names forward for hereditary peer by-elections; and how often any such checks are made.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: All those on the register of hereditary peers maintained under Standing Order 9(4) who were members of the House before the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999 indicated their willingness to stand in hereditary peer by-elections, either before the first edition of the Register was issued on 13 November 2002, or subsequently. Hereditary peers who have succeeded to their titles since 1999 are required to petition the House to “direct the Clerk of the Parliaments to enter [them] on the register of hereditary peers who wish to stand in any by-election for election to Your Lordships’ House”.Every peer on the register is contacted before each by-election to ask if they wish to be a candidate, and if a peer no longer wishes to be included on the register, they can request that their name be removed from it at any time.